And what does Armstrong himself think? In an interview with Bicycling, which was granted on the condition we not question him directly about the investigation or PEDs, he insisted that Livestrong—and his role with the organization—would survive.

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"If people think that I am going to be distracted or we are going to be sidetracked from our mission, they are sorely mistaken," he said. "The last thing that I am is a quitter.

"So I would reiterate to anybody in the cycling community who wants to question my commitment or the passion of this organization, they are making a big mistake."

Asked whether he envisioned a time when he might not be involved with Livestrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner said: "That's like asking what's my association going to be like with my kids in five or 10 years. It goes without saying that I am committed to the foundation, but even bigger than that, committed to the larger fight against cancer.

"We work very closely with the American Cancer Society, and, believe it or not, the FDA. We are all a team in this fight and my commitment is full-time now. I am committed for as long as I need to be, and it's not going to go away in a month or a year."